We are due for a good review and recommendation of some great films. This time it’s films that I feel are genuinely original — movies that defy anything that has either come before it or even after. Genuinie creativity is so hard to find today. Bombarded by sequels, remakes and re-fabricated fusions of ideas stolen from other films disguised as originality, today’s movies feel both boring and chaotic, with many lacking either imagination and cohesive storytelling/direction. Here, we’ll look at films whose execution is as original as its ideas and, despite the passage of time, hold together and age better than so many films being made today.
Let The Right One In (Directed by Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
Swedish director Tomas Alfredson’s film is perhaps the most original take on the vampire genre I’ve ever seen. It’s both surprisingly touching yet starkly brutal. It carries none of the sensationist memes that typically accompany this genre. A film starring essentially two child actors, it’s easy to forget the complete submersion one feels when watching their performances. It’s a story of growing up, loneliness, friendship and young love set in a secluded little town in Sweden. It’s not the typical setting for any kind vampire or horror movie. Things look so normal yet there’s this eery quietness to the atmosphere. Shot during winter, where one feels both the isolation of its inhabitants and the coldness in the air, danger lurks unsuspectedly. The horror lies not in the shadows, as the murders happen in plain site, but rather out in the open, like how a child sees the world, almost innocently. While there is inevitable violence, it’s a story that’s built through careful character development rather than breathtaking action. I don’t want too give much away except to say that its ideas, characters and narrative are so original and interesting that I couldn’t help but marvel at the seemless clarity in the storytelling, most of it told visually. Here, you’re caught surprisingly empathetic to the protagonists while being glued to their journey, one that culminates into an ending that’s both brilliant yet inevitable.
A Clockwork Orange (Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film debuted with incredible fanfare recieving both acclaim and criticism as well as intense public protest. Banned in a number cities during its release, the story portrays a young man, who along with his three companions, make up a group of repulsively cruel hooligans. This doesn’t make for a film you’d think you’d like to watch nor characters you’d like to follow. But follow them you will and into very uncomfortable settings. The film reveals what low street level evil looks like and where it lurks. It also reveals how society doesn’t know how to respond to the problems that come with this existent reality. Played by Malcom McDowell in an iconic role, Alex is into random violence, rape and Beethoven. (This juxtoposition of his interests is telling.) He ultimately gets arrested and subjected to social reform/rehab via technology. With beautiful and original costume and set designs, A Clockwork Orange creates conflict that challenges the mind of the viewer; it’s a film that you want to turn away from but can’t. Why did the director make a film about evil look so darn interesting, even visually appealing? The answer is simple: to shock us out of our naivete exposing our inclination to avoid truths, especially ugly ones that don’t align with our beliefs. Society and reality are complex. Here we witness how ideology — theories, judgements, labels and the associated automated responses — can lead to terrible outcomes and especially so when used for political advantage. Kubrick slaps this right in our face, all the way up to the ending of the movie and, in so doing, challenges our understanding of humanity.
Mulholland Drive (Directed by David Lynch, 2001)
Few films will frustrate you as much as Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (upon first viewing). I remember friends furiously debating the events, both real or imagined, and the meaning of the movie. Great films do this; they make us think and wonder about them long after they’re over. A story about a young Canadian girl (Naomi Watts) arriving in Hollywood to pursue a career in acting, the film grows into a mystery of sorts. Upon her arrival she finds a gorgeous brunette (Laura Harring) living in the home she’s set to stay in while in LA. This woman seems to have lost her memory via some kind of accident and Watts is determined to help her. The two embark on a journey to discover the truth of what happened. Beautifully acted, the apparent sweetness of Watt’s characters hides the reality of her nature while Harring plays the perfect yet twisted version of a neo-noir femme fatale. Slowly and surely we begin to see and feel that things aren’t right. We take turns questioning characters, events and the themes that lie deep in the narrative. I wish not to give anything away, for that would take away the fun, but there is so much rich symbology and visual luggage that we don’t know what’s actually important. This is both perplexing and intriguing at the same time. Truth be told, the film requires multiple viewings to understand and to catch all the intricacies in the underlying story structure. Wonderfully paced, Lynch makes you feel like you’re right there with its lead characters as you join in on her confusion. Can you handle such a mind warp?
Peppermind Candy (directed by Lee Chang Dong, 1999)
There are three great directors that have pushed Korea onto the forefront of modern filmmaking today: Park Chan Wook (Old Boy), Boon Jong Ho (Parasite) and Lee Chang Dong (Oasis). Of this trio, Lee’s films create a kind of nuanced atmosphere that’s easily overlooked compared to his contemporaries. His characters aren’t loud or charismatic nor are his environments elaborate or even playful. The world Lee creates feel shockingly and intensely real. The fantasy elements in his films lie sneakily beneath the exterior; hidden from plain site or dialogue, his themes creep subtly into your subconcious and, like in his latest masterpiece Burning, they are a slow yet inviting burn. In Peppermint Candy, the film is masterfully delivered to us in backwards order. Bit by bit, you witness more and more of the possible truths that might explain the events at the very beginning of the movie (which is actually the story’s chronological end). This is done to perfection. Each scene that arrives brings a deeper and deeper character reveal, playing out the history of one man’s complex and often painful condition. We witness hope, joy, suffering, betrayal and innocence all in one go around. It’s an amazing ride, a film that teaches us about the importance of one’s actions in the moment. Now, how many movies actually educate and entertain you at the same time?
Get Out (directed by Jordan Peele, 2017)
Finally I want to share a film that’s fairly recent, Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Peele’s writing and directing are starkly original while dealing with themes that have long haunted America’s unsettling issues of dealing with dark skin. Without preaching, he turns complexities of race into fun explorations of daily human interaction that reveals the aburdity and then flips and turns it into horror. Get Out starts out with a young man Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) setting out to meet her parents for the first time. During their drive out, they hit a deer. Immediately they are interogated by a white police officer, one who seems to meet the stereotype of redneck America. Rose is defensive of her boyfriend during the encounter, which carries some ominous tone thru the imagery of the dead ungulate. The scene establishes what seems to be a close bond between the two lovers, one that will protect him in the events to occur when he meets her all white family and their friends. But bit by bit things unravel and Chris begins to see and experience oddities that make him incredibly uncomfortable. As the viewer, you relate to Chris’ deeply felt fear; you know something horrible is brewing yet you don’t know what it is. Peele’s direction is both tight and metaphorical creating an atmosphere that is creepy yet funny at the same time. Get Out is a modern movie that gives today’s film lovers hope that it’s still possible to make fresh and engaging films.